Nurturing Growth

 

I have to admit, there are few things more beautiful to me than a freshly mowed lawn. Though I have felt this way since I was a boy doing my chores, I think the sentiment lingers because I have lived my life in a vocation that has no clear moments of starting or stopping. All I do seems to run together in one joyful, unbroken stream of doing. I’m not complaining; it has been a wonderful adventure, this strange life of mine.

But I do occasionally like a task that, when finished, allows me the chance to stand back and admire my handiwork. This morning I took a picture of my back yard, all thick and manicured and green. It made all the hot work of mowing and edging worth it, to see this soft carpet in the morning sun.

It struck me how, just a few years ago when we purchased this house, there was no lawn at all. A few spots of unhealthy grass were still hanging on during that cold February, but mostly it was just random weeds awaiting the Spring. But then the ground began to be watered and fertilized and mowed and edged. It is amazing the transformation that came with just a little attention and hard work.

It can be the same with people. Over the years there are dry spells where we can lose our luster. As the parable of Jesus relates, sometimes the weeds of life move in and choke out the good stuff. It doesn’t take too many weeks of neglect for our lives, once beautiful, to fall into disarray. The transformation can be fast and dramatic.

The good news is that we, too, can be reclaimed. The transformation usually does not happen overnight. Our lives need attention. Our lives need hard work. Our lives need watering and feeding and tending, much like a beautiful lawn. But when the hard work begins to show, it is a feeling well worth the energy.

I suppose what I want to say is that we should not be quick to give up on each other. We should not be quick to give up on ourselves. Within us there is beauty, waiting to be nurtured and cultivated. With a little patience, who knows what we may see grow in the life of another? Who knows what we might discover within ourselves?

Peace.